Food Photography: Lighting and Compositional Basics




If you have aspirations to be a better food photographer on any level join New York Times photographer Andrew Scrivani for this instructional talk.

Andrew Scrivani NY Times Food Blog: http://makingsundaysauce.com
Personal Work:
http://www.andrewscrivani.com
Instagram: andrewscrivani

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37 responses to “Food Photography: Lighting and Compositional Basics”

  1. This guy seems not to understand that food photography isn't about artsy light, it's about making food look appetizing. People don't want to eat what they can't see. Most of these photos are lost in black holes. Some are so dark they're unidentifiable. As others point out, none of these images would be used in a menu, magazine editorial or cookbook. Since when do people serve lemon bars in a dark room with one side of them going to black? Steam off of what is apparently a steak, except you can't see the steak. A jar of what could be honey, beer, ice tea, who knows? The blobs in the background give no context. And I didn't think it was possible to make a row of colored ice cream cones look depressing, but he manages to do it.

    If you want to see outstanding commercial food photography that isn't artsy fartsy then study a Denny's menu carefully, because they get it. I'm not joking. It may not look like it was photographed on a moonlit Tuscan balcony, but it makes the food look approachable and yummy.

  2. Quite the story, Andrew! I like that you explained the beauty of the images through the use of colors and light and cherished personal experiences that everyone's had – all without boasting about your own skill. You kept it humble, and that's what made it so easy to watch and absorb. I'm a food photog down in Miami, and am currently working on using shadows. I only shoot at restaurants and bars at night because of my day job, and that's forced me to learn how to use one, two and three flash unit setups. I have yet to use daylight or a studio, or a full-frame camera yet, so I'm excited for my future in this industry. Anyways, this was one of the first videos I watched on food photography, and now that I've revisited it months later, it's got so much more meaning to me. Thanks for sharing your insight, and thank you to B&H for producing and supporting this.

    Anthony Nader
    52 Chefs
    @52Chefs on Instagram

  3. As Andrew Scrivani mentions at the beginning of his talk, “food photography is an art form that gravitates towards the macro.” So, if you don’t already have a macro lens for your camera, it would be a good lens to invest in. For the Nikon D7200, you might look at the Nikon AF-S Micro-NIKKOR 60mm f/2.8G ED Lens. It’s an excellent lens, which would allow for lovely detail shots of food. At the same time, it isn’t overly telephoto, so you could still get shots of full plates/tables and procedural shots. Christina AskYouTube@bhphoto.com

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